Once Upon a Bathtub
by Silver Miko
Summary: ONESHOT Shinobi Love July Challenge It's hot in Kyoto, and Misao is drawing a blank in writing. One quick grocery run and contemplating her stalkerish crush on her tall neighbor later, Misao's day becomes more interesting


Author's Note: July Challenge.  
Nothing much else.  
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Once Upon A Bathtub by Silver Miko (my fandom...has found the living Aoshi)

"In other news, the heat wave that hit much of the area continues into it's sixth day as city officials ask that citizens please be sparing in their use of air conditioning and to take caution when outdoors as cases of heat stoke have been rising in numbers each day. And up next, Kamiya Kaoru-sensei with out weather forecast for the weekend"  
Misao ignored the sounds of the television as she sat next to the large fan plugged next to her open small balcony window as she sat next to her balcony typing.  
It was only 11 am that Thursday morning of July, and it was already about a billion degrees outside. After sleeping poorly from the heat, she had awoken an before and showered. Dressed in dark denim Daisy Dukes and a gold spaghetti strapped tank top, Misao scratched her head as she sighed and looked at the blank screen.  
She should be writing, it was her one day off from work at the arts and craft store and she had every intention of updating her stories...and yet nothing came to mind.  
Maybe it was the heat. She hated humidity and wished some form of a breeze would sweep through Kyoto or at least some rain.  
It was just too damn hot in her opinion.  
Living in the small apartment with no air conditioner was a torture Misao was finding more unbearable each day. She could go to the Aoiya and have some iced tea, but knowing Jiya he'd weasel her into waiting tables and as much as Misao loved her odd family...she was rather thankful to be on her own. She had to return to classes at college soon in a week as summer vacation was winding down, and so she was going to use this off time to relax and write.  
But nothing.  
Groaning, she got up and padded barefoot to her kitchen and opened the refridgerator door to peak inside. Her shelves were pretty bare as she grabbed a Coke and walked back to her laptop. Maybe reading would jumpstart her brain.  
And thirty minutes later she was still blanking on where to go with her current fanfiction story.  
Frustration now creeping into her more and more, she left her laptop and grabbed her keys as she stepped into a pair of navy tennis shoes and walked out the door with the intention to pick up some groceries.  
At least there was AC in the store.  
Feeling sweat rolling down her back and sticking to her neck, Misao was thankful it was but a five minute walk to the grocery store around the corner as she entered the automatic doors.  
"God bless AC!" she announced loudly to no one, and grabbed a shopping cart as she made her way to the produce section and grabbed some cucumbers and lettuce. Salad would be a good lunch on such a hot day. Humming as she headed for the bakery section, she looked around to see who was shopping.  
A couple people she vaguely saw around the neighborhood, but no one she really knew.  
"Baka, you're looking for him." she muttered to herself, furrowing her brows.  
Surely HE had something better to do on a Thursday morning than shop. Like work perhaps? The 'he' in question was one Shinomori Aoshi, a very tall and very handsome man with blue-black hair and piercing blue eyes who lived on the same floor as Misao's, just two doors down across the hall. She had bumped into one day in the elevator as she was struggling with some sketchbooks and large canvases, and ended up knocking into him and dropping her supplies in the hall and muttering a litany of curses that would make a sailor blush.  
Looking up as she realized there was indeed another person there, she had blushed profusely taking in the handsome stranger standing over her and quickly began apologizing over and over.  
She expected him to laugh. Or roll his eyes.  
He did neither. He simply bent down and helped her collect her things, and followed her to her door and handed her her things as she blinked and quietly thanked him.  
A few more run-ins later she learned his name, that he was five years older than her and was in his last year of graduate school for a doctrate in Asian History, that he loved green tea. To her, he was perfect. Smart, asthetically astounding, just perfect.  
And for the past six months the only relationship they had was neighbors.  
Much to Misao's chagrin.  
Picking up some bagels and some garlic bread, she kept on with her shopping and picked up more packs of iced tea mix and ramen and salad dressing and made her way to the check out.  
The cashier was a young guy, perhaps seventeen, and from the way he smirked and looked her over, he assumed the same of her.  
Fighting the urge to groan in annoyance, she waited as he rang her items up.  
"Hot out there, huh?" he asked.  
"Yep, sure is! Can't wait to go back to school where they have AC." she said chipperly.  
Here it comes.  
"So what high school do you go to? I go to Meio Gakuen"  
Misao smiled a bit too sweetly.  
"I used to go there, four years ago anyway until I graduated"  
She held back a smirk as the boy's smile faltered.  
"Ah, you're like twenty-one? Wow. I thought you were like sixteen"  
"Everyone does. Take care kid." she murmured, taking her bags and walking out of the store rolling her eyes. Yes she was short and all, but dammit! Did she need to tattoo her ID on her forehead!  
Walking back to her apartment with two plastic bags in hand, she sighed once more. Damn, it was getting hotter. Linking her hand through the handles of one of the bags, she pressed the button to the elevator and entered, hit number 10 for her floor, and whistled to herself as the elevator quickly took her to the tenth floor.  
As she fished her keys out of her shorts pocket, she didn't see the person ahead of her and walked right into them.  
"Ah sorry about that!" she said, and looked up into blue eyes.  
"Misao, it's fine." he mumbled, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead.  
He was wearing a black muscle shirt and black pants.  
And sweating.  
It was too much for our poor Misao as she opened and closed her mouth a few times before being able to speak again.  
"Um, you look hot Aoshi-san"  
She blinked and felt her cheeks redden. That came out all wrong!  
"My air conditioner is broken"  
"Oh? That sucks. Were you on your way out"  
"Yes. I was going to get some bags of ice." "Oh? Having a party"  
"No, Misao. I just need ice"  
"Oh, well...whenever you get back if you want some iced tea or something, just um...gimme a knock okay? Okay! Um, bye!" she said and walked hastily to her door, opened it, and walked in shutting the door behind her and leaning against it as she huffed her breath.  
"Oh my God! You are such a DORK Makimachi! Seriously"  
Shaking her head, she went to the kitchen with her groceries and unpacked them all the while wondering...what was Aoshi going to do with bags of ice?  
Not a party.  
Hmmmm.  
Shaking her head at her thoughts, she finished putting her groceries away but left out veggies for a salad and made a small salad with ranch dressing and walked back to her computer.  
She would write something dammit! If it killed her! She owed it to her fandom!  
And thus opening Notepad she began typing something, anything, and soon enough a paragraph was born.  
Saving it, she closed Notepad and grinned.  
"Yes! Success! I'm on my way yet to another awesome fic! Hmmm mmmmm ranch dressing...I love you"  
Setting the small salad bowl down, she checked her mail and then went to go watch television as the most important block of television was on: anime.  
How else did her fandom expect her to get inspired? And bishounen in leather were calling her.  
Turning to look at her apartment door she sighed.  
"Why the hell can't I stop thinking about the ice! Geez, I'm such a stalker. Damn Aoshi-san and his sexy abs. God, everything about him is sexy...the eyes, the hair, the deep voice...seeing that man shirtless was the best and worst thing ever." she mumbled to herself, recalling how she had bumped into a shirtless Aoshi on the roof. She had gone to do some sunbathing, he was practicing Tai Chi.  
It was that day Misao learned more about Shinomori Aoshi.  
The man had the best set of abs she'd ever seen. Not too muscular, but clearing six packed.  
He had the most wonderful hips ever. And she could just make out that oh so tempting tanline.  
He was not abashed at her seeing him shirtless, as many times after she would come to sunbathe and he would be practicing.  
Each time she was thankful for her sunglasses and that she wasn't visibly drooling...too much.  
It was too much. Why couldn't she just ask the man out already! Instead she apparently opted to merely blink and open and close her mouth like a fish, and then ramble on like a moron.  
But she had made progress today at last! Asking him over for iced tea, as lame as it was, surely was a sign of her getting better around him! Wasn't it?  
An hour and a half later, Misao's curiosity was just getting the best of her far too much. Jumping off her couch, she opened her door and walked to Aoshi's and knocked, surprised when it opened. She guessed he hadn't closed it all the way when he returned from the store.  
Walking quietly into his apartment, she looked around at the plain living room area. A few swords were nailed to the wall and a few watercolors, but other than that...pretty sparse.  
She began regretting her decision to set foot into his apartment.  
She was uninvited. Tresspassing.  
"A..Aoshi-san?" she called out quietly.  
Walking down a dim hallway she noticed a light and knocked on the door.  
"Aoshi...saaa..." her words died as the door opened and she blinked.  
She was greeted to the sight of a startled Aoshi sitting in his bathtub which was full of ice.  
Sitting naked in his bathtub.  
Aoshi was naked.  
Naked.  
NAKED.  
"M...Misao, what are you doing here!" he asked, drawing his shower curtain closed quickly.  
"I...uh...I"  
Part of her wanted to laugh at the fact she was now talking to a curtain.  
"You were?" he asked, his voice a bit high strung.  
"I knocked on your front door to see if you were home and it opened and against my better judgement I came in looking for you and I saw the light on so I knocked and the door open and I had no idea really you'd be all nice and naked in the tub! I mean naked in the tub! Not that you're not uh, nice looking naked and all and I...I...I'll be going now bye!" And with that she turned on her heels and ran out of the apartment slamming the door shut.  
Aoshi blinked.  
"How can she not take a breath in the middle of all that..." he murmured to himself, and pushed the curtain aside to stand in all his golden skinned naked glory as he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his glorious hips and went to get dressed.  
Might as well talk to her about it now, and she did mention an offer of tea earlier.  
And so fifteen minutes later and now wearing just jeans, Aoshi stood at Misao's door and knocked.  
The door opened and Misao stood wide-eyed, mouth agape.  
"A..A..Aoshi-san...umm...hi"  
"Misao, I've come to take up that offer of tea." he said simply. For it was as simple as that. Nevermind she had just seen him naked, or had technically broke into his apartment. Or that she confessed him being naked was nice.  
He had made some guess that she was attracted to him, her always blushing and stuttering and rambling around him when he knew she was completely different around others, her always sunbathing while he was practicing Tai Chi, the way she just looked him over in his tub even if she didn't realize she was doing it.  
The more he thought of it, it was painfully obvious Misao liked him. A lot.  
And he merely ignored it, thinking there was no way such a cute girl could possibly be taken by a quiet loner like him.  
Guess he was wrong. Which was probably a good thing.  
Finally she let him in and he quietly followed her to the couch, and he noticed her apartment was semi-messy but all together rather quirky and cute in shades of blues and violet with a lime green couch. Sitting on said couch, he watched as she wandered into the kitchen and poured two glasses of iced tea and then quickly returned to sit next to him. He accepted the glass and they drank in silence.  
For five whole minutes.  
And then.  
"Misao"  
"Uh yea"  
"You're not talking"  
"Um...yea"  
"In any time I've been around you, you've never stayed quiet for five minutes"  
He noticed coloring in her cheeks.  
"Ah...well..I don't want to talk your ear off"  
"Well, maybe I like it when you talk"  
She snorted.  
"No one likes it when I ramble on"  
"That's not true. It just shows you're lively. Energetic. Some find that an attractive quality"  
"Being energetic"  
"Yes"  
Misao blinked.  
"Are you talking about sex"  
Aoshi choked on his tea, attempting to swallow it and breath.  
"Ah! I'm sorry! I'm a moron!" Misao apologized, patting his back as he coughed.  
"I'm fine Misao, really"  
"I'm sorry I'm such a spazz, Aoshi-san! I swear I'm really a nice, normal girl"  
"It's just my affect on you?" "Yea pretty much I think..wait! Did you just"  
"Trick you into admitting it"  
"Well..." she murmured, leaning her head back and closing her eyes embarassed, "That's not fair"  
Aoshi could tell she was embarassed and felt slightly bad for his part in it. But she really did look so cute all blushing and nervous. And so he leaned a bit forward.  
And in her embarassment, Misao never noticed the shadow looming over her.  
Until lips pressed against hers.  
Gasping slightly, she quickly responded and Aoshi pulled away.  
"Why did you do that?" she asked, feeling breathless.  
"Because even though you think you're an idiot, I think you're cute. Never lose your energy Misao"  
She smiled shakily.  
"Okay, if you say so! And...I'm sorry, I have to ask this. The ice...what the heck was that"  
"Oh.." he murmured, looking forward and Misao was giddy to see a blush grace his cheeks.  
"When it gets too hot I...like sitting in ice to cool off"  
Misao couldn't help it, and burst out laughing.  
"I think I just found my inspiration"  
"Inspiration"  
"Oh nothing! Nothing at all. More tea"  
Meanwhile her laptop sat discreetly at the end of the room, a file called 'Harry Potter Fanfiction' open with several text documents in it.  
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This oneshot was: -Part parody of myself and my writing process. Call it satirical dramatization. (But yes I do think it's a big accomplishment when I get a single paragraph written)  
- part fanservice (come on, Aoshi naked in a tub? FANSERVICE)  
-part tribute (to my real life Aoshi and his wonderAbs. And the tanline...oh god September come soon)  
-part craziness (as will all my shtuff)

Stuff I listened to while writing this!

Hyper Love- Buck Tick Forbidden Lover- L'arc En Ciel Hitomi no Jyuunjin- L'arc En Ciel Image is Nothing, Lobsters are Everything- Reggie and the Full Effect Apocalypse Wow- Reggie and the Full Effect Meagan 2yk(even though its 2k3 now)- Reggie and the Full Effect Get Well Soon- Reggie and the Full Effect The Widow- Mars Volta Mr. Brightside- The Killers Starfuckers, Inc- Nine Inch Nails Onegai Senorita- ORANGE RANGE As if in a dream- L'arc En Ciel Rakuen- Buck Tick Miu- Buck Tick Waiting For- Miz Loverboy- L'arc En Ciel Come- Namie Amuro Neouniverse- L'arc en Ciel The Perfect Drug- Nine Inch Nails Gessekai- Buck Tick (listening right now) 


End file.
